Your agent needs to contact the listing agent. The owner, in a short sale, is not the bank,it is the current owner of the property . Your agent should be speaking to the listing agent. Also, the bank can't remove the listing from the MLS if it's a short sale.
If the bank is the owner, then you are talking about a forclosure, not a short sale.

Your agent has no authorization to speak with the bank unless he/she is the listing agent and has prior authority given by the seller to speak with the lender on their behalf. That said, the listing agent must receive a signed written offer (just like a normal purchase) to present to the seller to accept. Then the authorized short sale spokesperson (listing agent, attorney, etc) will present the entire short sale package to the lender and they will take it from there to start the lengthy process. Have your agent do some homework into why it has been withdrawn. The listing agent should know all the details. Hope this helps.

Lynn Dachisen
Keller Williams Towne Square Realty

http://www.WarrenNJBestPlaceToLive.com
Speciallzing in Warren New Jersey Real Estate and the surrounding areas

Vicky's right.

In a short sale, you buy the home from the person/family who owns the home. Bank approval is required, but the transaction is between you and the person in financial difficulty.

In a foreclosure, the bank owns the home. You buy directly from the bank.

It sounds as if the property was originally a short sale, but foreclosure occurred. That's the only way the bank could remove the listing from the MLS--it became the owner.

If it's now bank-owned, then at some point the bank will relist the property with an agent. At that point, you'll be able to make an offer on it. But not until then.

Ask your Realtor to call the (former) listing agent and find out what the situation is.

Hope that helps.

If the home is a short sale, then the agent must contact the owners. The owner, in a short sale, is NOT the bank. Your agent should be speaking to the listing agent. Also, the bank can't remove the listing from the MLS if it's a short sale. Perhaps the listing has expired.

Speak to your agent, or another agent with short sale experience.

Laura Giannotta
Keller Williams Atlantic Shore

Hi Jenn:

I do an extensive amount of business in Hillsborough. If you can give me the property address, I can find out more information on the situation. If your current agent is not the listing agent for the property, then of course the bank will not respond to him. The bank can't even respond to the listing agent, unless the seller of the home signs a third party authorization form giving the bank permission to speak with the listing agent.

Please feel free to contact me at: denisecanellolson@remax.net

Good answer Vicky---as usual! you are so sensible!

Well - here's your problem. Your agent shouldn't be calling the bank if it is a short sale. The seller in a short sale is NOT a bank. If the seller is a bank, it is an REO, also known as a bank owned or post foreclosure property. You need to know what you're dealing with; and you need an agent that both knows the difference and can explain the differences to you.